The 17th edition of the European Championship will see international football tournaments in Europe return with a bang, after the Nations League finals, which ended earlier this year.
Interestingly, the finalists of that tournament, Croatia and Spain, will have another chance to go at each other in EURO 2024, with the two teams drawn in the same group, Group B, at the Elbphilharmonie concert hall in Hamburg on Saturday.
Which teams are there in Group B?
Spain, Croatia, Italy, Albania
Spain, a three-time EURO winner, has struggled in transition after the end of its Golden Era – which won the EURO twice and the FIFA World Cup once – but has shown signs of resurgence in the Nations League, winning it in 2023.
Soccer Football - UEFA Euro 2024 Final Draw - Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany - December 2, 2023 General view of Group B displayed after the draw REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach | Photo Credit: KAI PFAFFENBACH
Croatia, on the other hand, continues to enjoy the services of some of its 2018 World Cup silver medal-winning team and had knocked out five-time World Cup winner Brazil in the quarterfinal in the last edition of the tournament, in Qatar.
It won the bronze medal there, its joint-second-best performance in a World Cup and also finished as the runner-up in the Nations League, its best-ever performance in that tournament.
Needless to say, the clash between the two will be a mouth-watering affair.
Italy, the defending champion of EUROs is also drawn into the group, making it truly the group of death.
Italy and Spain have enjoyed some epic rivalry, with five FIFA World Cups and European Championships between them.
ALSO READ: EURO 2024 schedule: Full list of matches, groups, kick-off time, venues, dates
In the last edition of the EUROs, Italy had knocked out Spain 4-2 in penalties in the semifinals while the Spaniards got the better of Italy on the next two occasions, beating it in the semis of consecutive editions of the Nations League.
For Luciano Spaletti, the clash would be another opportunity to prove himself on the national stage.
Spalletti has found it tough to help Italy to a smooth path into the EUROs, with the team drawn in the fourth pot after securing qualification in the last moment. | Photo Credit: AP
After helping Napoli win the Serie A title last season, its first Scudetto in over three decades, he has found it tough to help Italy to a smooth path into the EUROs, with the team drawn in the fourth pot after securing qualification in the last moment.
Albania, the other team in the group, can also prove to be the dark horse, with the team in inspiring form under former Arsenal and Brazil full-back Sylvinho.
Though the Eagles started their qualification campaign with a 0-1 loss to Poland, it has remained undefeated since, qualifying for the tournament for the second time in its history.
The matches of this group will start on they second day of EUROs, with Spain facing Croatia in the first match and Italy locking horns with Albania in the next.
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